1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly having a frame bracket assembly with an interchangeable bracket cover. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly having a spring end mount that is integrated with the frame bracket assembly frame. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has an aerodynamic body. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has integrated adjustable mud flap slots. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has mud flap mount locking tabs. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has integrally formed frame reinforcing ribs. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has a frame with an integrally formed spring end mount. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has a spring end mount without fasteners. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly with a separate end cap that is attached to a frame bracket without welds. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that has improved corrosion resistance. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a mud flap bracket assembly that is assembled with multiple parts without welds.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,724 to Hawes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,599 to Antekeier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,092 to Herlein, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,281 to Juergens disclose spring-biased mud flap bracket assemblies for mounting a mud flap to a vehicle frame.
Although these mudflap brackets have been very successful and very serviceable, brackets employ several welds that may leave small amounts of debris from the weld. If the debris is not removed with a cleaning operation, the paint layer applied to the finished bracket may flake off at the welds and show rust at an early stage of the service use. Although the rust does not materially affect the life of the bracket, it may appear to be unattractive to some truck and trailer owners. In any case, the weld and subsequent cleaning process and paint is an expensive process.
The reduction of wind resistance or drag on truck and trailer accessories is a continuous improvement process. Attempts are continually made to reduce drag and wind resistance to reduce fuel costs. The prior art mudflap brackets typically use a pair of longitudinal flanges beneath a tubular support to mount mudflaps. At least for shortie brackets that are used on tractor trucks, there is no uniform configuration of hole configurations and the flanges must be either custom made for different patterns of have slots to accommodate different hole pattern configuration of the mudflaps. These flanges are made of steel as is the tube support and thus add weight to the mudflap brackets and may also add wind resistance. If addition, the variety of mudflap patterns for shortie mudflaps may requires redundant inventory or custom fabrication of bracket for each different mudflap configuration.
Finally, aesthetics important to many customer. Ideally, the brackets can be made of stainless steel for more sophisticated truck and trailer owners. However, stainless steel is very expensive for mudflap brackets and add significant costs to the product. In addition, the painting process for high carbon steel can also be expensive to produce a quality product. In addition, the painted surfaces are subject to very corrosive environments deteriorate over the life of the brackets.